Herman erdman



(No Model.)

H. ERDMAN.

FRIGTION GLUTGH.

No'. 399,858. Pmentedmar. 19, 1889.

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FRICTION- THE G. A. GRAY CLUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,858, dated March 19, 1889.

Application filed March l0, 1888.

To a/ZZ whom, t may con/cern:

Be it known that LHERMAN ERDMAN, of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Friction-Clutches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to friction-clutches intended to serve in locking together the rotatory parts of mechanism arranged upon the same axis-as, for instance, a loose pulley upon a shaft.

My improvement will be readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of my improved friction-clutch, shown in connection with a loose pulley,whicl1. forms the clutched element, the pulley in this figure appearing in vertical diametrical section and the frictionring appearing also in vertical section; and Fig. 2, a face elevation of the friction-spider and attached lever.

In the drawings, A indicates a shaft; B, a pulley loose thereon and intended to be locked at will thereto by means of my improved devices, this pulley being' typical of any analogous device intended to be loose upon its shaft and to be locked thereto at will; C, the rim-bore of the pulley, concentric to the shaft and intended to be impinged upon by an expansive friction-ring; D, a spiderhub fast upon the shaft within the rim-bore of the pulley 5 E, a friction-ring seated within the rim-bore of the pulley and fairly fitting the same, and designed to be expanded to tightly fill the rim-bore of the pulley and thus become locked to the pulley; F, a spiderarm projectingl from the spider-hub and joining the friction-ring, and serving to integrate or unify the spider-hub and friction-ring; G, a gap in the friction-ring located, preferably, as shown, at a point opposite the point of attachment of the spider-arm F andthe friction-ring; H, a spider-arm projecting from the spider-hub outwardly close behind the friction-ring at the gap; J, a lever-pivot projecting from the face of theY spider-arm Il through the gap in the ring; K, a lever pivotedupon said pivot and projecting inwardly Serial No. 266,915. (No model.)

therefrom to one side of the shaft and presenting its free end near the shaft, the pivot end of this lever having a non-circular or cam form, substantially filling the gap in the friction-ring, and L the usual cone fitted to slide upon the shaft and engage the free end of the lever K and force it outwardly farther from the shaft.

IVith the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2 the friction-ring has a normal diameter siiiciently small to prevent frictional engagement with the rim-bore of the pulley. If the free end of the lever K be forced out.- wardly, as occurs when the cone is forced under the lever, the cam-like action of the pivot end of the lever will obviously tend to enlarge the gap in the friction-ring and thus increase the diameter of the friction-ring and cause it to engage the rim-bore of the pulley with sufficient frictional power to cause the pulley and friction-ring, and consequently the shaft, to become locked together. By withdrawing the cone the friction-ring by its own resilience will collapse. I prefer to increase the radial thickness of the friction-ring at the gap, so as to give increased surface for the action of the lever-cams, and so as to more equally distribute the springing of the ring, whereby it may more perfectly when expanded conform to the circle of the rim-bore. I also prefer to provide the free end of the cam-lever with the usual radial set-screw, to be engaged by the cone and serve as a means for adjustment in the usual manner.

I claim as my invention- In a friction-clutch, the combination, substantially as set forth, of pulley B, provided with a rim-bore, friction-ring E, fitting the rim-bore of the pulley and having gap G, spider-hub I), spider-arm F, rigidly uniting the hub and friction-ring, spider-arm H, projecting rigidly from the hub and having its outer end disposed behind the friction-ring at its gap, pivot J, projecting from the arm II forwardly through said gap, and cam-lever K, pivoted within the gap upon the pivot J.

HERMAN ERDMAN.

Witnesses:

Oni-xs. HUMMEL, ALLAN TREMPER. 

